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Triple Alliance
Long extinct, this ancient civilization is remembered and revered to this very day for its achievements. It has left behind detailed records which survive today at Ichtalu. The Desan Empire was centered around the Triple Alliance between Mars, which was the Homeworld, and what are now called Hercules (or Manchichiyu) and Durre Manthor (or Baisqia). Mars quickly established itself as the dominant partner of the alliance, and the other two largely took on subsidiary roles. At its zenith the empire spanned across 18,000 cubic parsecs. This is more than ten times more extensive than the next largest civilization in galactic history. The Grand Alliance also governed at least 130 billion beings – 40 billion of which estimated to be non-Desan, taken as fallow slaves. From the perspective of contemporaries, the Desan were not seen as a coherent, singular Stellar Empire but rather a loosely unified front of tributaries and protectorates. The confederation was largely a military one, and the Triple Alliance held power solely through its hegemony. To maintain this hegemony, the Triple Alliance and Mars in particular advocated the waging of many dozens of wars. Wars proved the alliance’s might and dominance, and thus showed that hegemony was possible and necessary. The weaker colonies would be more willing to accept their low station if it was seen as necessary for survival. The first sign of weakness in the Triple Alliance could, and did, lead to the empire’s complete collapse. The Desan Empire thus saw a state of infinite perpetual warfare with no end in sight, advocated by ruthless polities within its major planets in order to maintain and extend their powers and authority. The empire expanded largely through conquest and slavery, and indeed, grew to its vast size through violence, as opposed to more conventional (and practical) exploration and colonization. The imperial era continued even as the empire itself was stretched thin and Mars’ hegemony questionable. The Siege of Mars, which was the climax to a long and brutal campaign, ended the imperial era. However, the Imperial Remnant, based on a unitary parliament, would fight to survive for another six hundred years, while the so-called Sixteen Kingdoms would last another one thousand. The imperial era was also marked by a dynastic cycle. These 'dynasties' were essentially the ruling patrician families which occasionally gained total control of Mars and, thus, the Triple Alliance - and consequently the empire. The dynastic system sparked a lot of infighting. History Defense of the Realm 1500 years before the Siege of Mars, what would become the ‘empire’ we know as today was a fractured realm of infighting factions. Many dozens of small kingdoms, carved out by warlords and powerful merchant cliques, went to war over rivalries that had burned for centuries, seeking power and wealth. Mars itself was the largest and richest of these small domains. This was the way things remained for centuries after the Desan first built an interstellar civilization. Most of their galactic neighbors considered them too fractured to be a threat, and as such they were largely ignored by external powers. This was true for all except the Uhara. Drawn to the perceived weakness of the Desan and the great wealth that was flaunted by the merchant and monastic cliques, some of the Uhara’s more adventurous splinter fleets began planetary raids against outermost Desan colonies, and encountered immense success. This success encouraged a series of more daring raids, which developed into full-scale wars as more Uhara were drawn to the easy wealth that was the Desan enterprise. Rapidly, much of the rest of Mars’ interstellar civilization had collapsed economically or surrendered into giving expensive tribute to the Uhara, who grew rich off of Desan labor. As the Uhara prepared to invade Mars itself, Mars sent proposals to form what they called the ‘Quadruple Alliance’ to defeat them. The Creation of the Triple Alliance The proposal was sent to three planets aside from Mars: planets today called Hercules and Durre Manthor, and the ‘sister’ homeworld of Titan. The proposed military alliance involved total cooperation of the four planets’ armed forces and sharing of the spoils of war according to each member’s level of participation. Because of the looming threat posed by the Uhara, and the sweetening of the deal, the alliance of Mars, Hercules, and Durre Manthor was created. Titan, however, refused to take part in the alliance. This was because Titan had actually established relations with the Uhara which they felt benefitted them more than a costly major interstellar war. Fearing Uhara retribution should the alliance fail, Titan decided to stay out of the conflict and continue to milk its tributary relationship with them. The Triple Alliance, as it was thus called, combined its military assets and conducted a massive push through the region now called Sol’s Umbra. This counter-offensive caught the Uhara off-guard and panic soon ensued. Uhara forces were cut off from one another and the Desan destroyed every isolated group one-by-one. Within a year, this first phase of the war was over, and the Triple Alliance geared up to ‘crusade’ into nearby regions and 'liberate' Desan-controlled territories. Seeing the rapid shift in the balance of power, Titan asked to join the Triple Alliance. To this, the members consented and Titan was permitted to join in military operations against the Uhara as an honorary member. After putting the Uhara on the defensive, the Desan focused their forces into pushing them out from nearby regions. In the process, more worlds were ‘liberated’ from the Uhara, and at least until the war was over, were willing to recognize the Triple Alliance’s hegemony and contribute to the war effort through tribute. As this happened, it was decided that Mars, which was slowly asserting dominance within the alliance, would receive 40% of the tribute, Durre Manthor another 40%, and Hercules the remaining 20%. Hercules’ contribution was more limited compared to the others, and indeed was being slowly forgotten as a major participant. This arrangement deliberately ignored Titan, which was not perceived as being formally part of the Triple Alliance and not entitled to a share in the spoils of war or receiving tribute. In addition, they had joined the war late, and many rightfully suspected they were working with the Uhara beforehand. Titan was also obligated to pay tribute as the outer colonies were. Desan Civil War Titan was, understandably, not happy with this deal. It was contributing to the war nearly as much as Durre Manthor, for it possessed the most numerous and most advanced orbital facilities in the Solar System, but was receiving nothing for it and being treated as an ordinary liberated colony. As Titan’s losses in life and material mounted up, it drew its plans against the Triple Alliance. Eventually, the Uhara were rendered incapable of putting up organized resistance against the Desan offensive, and many splinter fleets were turning to seek new business ventures elsewhere. The war would, in the mind of the Triple Alliance, only be over once all former Desan worlds were ‘liberated’ and accepted the alliance’s hegemony, however. A month or two into this assimilation process, Titan put its plan into action. It had formed a secret coalition of its own allies from various far-flung colonies, who felt similarly mistreated by the Triple Alliance. They had promised to send aid Titan’s way at once – but Titan was obligated to make the first strike before there was any guarantee of help. Titan thus struck at Mars itself in a surprise attack involving almost its entire armed forces: 3 million fully-outfitted planetary forces including vehicles, drones, airframes, and aquatic craft. A fleet of 240 starships would carry this army and engage with the Alliance fleet. Although outnumbered a slight margin by the defense forces on Mars, the goal was to hold out long enough for aid to arrive from the nearest of Titan’s new allies, and once the defenders had conceded defeat, Titan could demand its entry into the Triple Alliance, demand war reparations, and demand compensation for its allies. Main Article: Battle of Mars (Desan Civil War) However, things did not quite go to plan in Titan’s initial assault. The Alliance forces, ever-aggressive, launched a retaliatory attack to engage Titan’s fleet well outside of range of their planetary bombardment weapons. A genius pincer movement by the Alliance commander cut off several lines of laser battleships from their support. Heavy lasers destroyed their engines, and coil-cannons finished off what was left. Titan’s fleet was eradicated, and desperate pleas for assistance were sent to Titan’s allies, who, of course, refused to participate now that it was clear that Mars was far too strong. The remaining warships of Titan’s force, which had retreated to Titan, were forced to dive into the clouds of Saturn and hide whilst the Alliance deployed a blockade force and pummeled Titan with fusion weapons. Cities were levelled and many were killed. Titan’s government asked for the bombardment to stop, and the Alliance commander ordered so. The Triple Alliance allowed Titan to surrender. Titan could keep its remaining starships, however, they were to emerge from the clouds of Saturn under the supervision of the Alliance fleet. Being totally at the mercy of the Alliance warships, this is a powerful humiliation in Desan culture, akin to allowing a defeated warrior to live as their defeat is witnessed by their peers. In addition, Titan would be forced to shut down its orbital facilities and sell the scrap to Mars. Titan complied with the demands, and for the remainder of the empire’s history, Titan remained almost synonymous with Mars, as though it were just another neighborhood in the same city. Titan annulled its treaties made with its former allies, and in doing so, gave away their identities to the Triple Alliance. As a result, many of Titan’s allies were similarly invaded and punished, during the First Reassertion Wars, though less than Titan itself, and they resumed being tributary states. The Creation of the Grand Alliance The events of Titan’s rebellion and the short civil war that followed solidified the Triple Alliance as more than a military association to defeat the Uhara. By now, the Uhara were no longer a major threat. Mars also had asserted its position as the most powerful member of the Triple Alliance, to the point that it stopped being referred to as such and instead the same just became known as ‘Mars’ itself. It no longer was “The Triple Alliance are…” but rather “Mars is…” in common dialogue. The two others, Durre Manthor and Hercules, took on supportive, subsidiary roles. Hercules’ role was increasingly forgotten, but it remained a member of the alliance due to its assistance in the war against the Uhara. Despite the defeat of the Uhara, or at least, their withdrawawl from the region, there were other enemies that made the Desan paranoid. To the galactic west, the Tarakhad usurped much of what was former Desan territory from the Uhara. To add salt to the wound, Tarak traders were discovered to be conducting espionage operations. To the galactic south, the Hrodu were a growing regional power. In the face of these two significant threats, the Triple Alliance sought to tighten its grip on the tributary Desan colonies. To this end, a proposal for what would come to be known as the ‘Grand Alliance of Free Stars’ was drafted and discussed among the various colonies. The Grand Alliance was essentially the Triple Alliance’s attempt to formalize its relationship with the subordinate states, giving Mars and its sister worlds the capacity to levy military service and give commands to them. The rulers of these worlds were kept in place so long as they owed loyalty to the Triple Alliance and paid tribute. To enforce this policy, political marriages were arranged, and thus many rulers’ daughters and sons were kept on Mars with their new families, liable to the Alliance’s demands at any time. Although these political marriages served to act as a symbol of the connection between the ‘Big Three’ and the other colonies, it soon became a stopgap measure for scaring the others into subordination for fear of something happening to their loved ones. To sweeten the deal, the treaty was called the ‘Grand Alliance of Free Stars’ in order to make it seem that every star had a role to play. As a result, every world that contributed to a war would enjoy a share of the spoils. A ‘Congress of Stars’ was created but in practice had little power. The Tladesakin, or elite overseers, of Mars, Durre Manthor, and Hercules, still held unchallenged hegemonic authority. First Conquests An offensive war was plotted against the Tarak, to liberate yet more formerly territory. All members of the Grand Alliance contributed to the buildup of a vast fleet of warships from the big three, and millions of troops. The invasion of the Tarak which followed is one of the few examples of full-scale offensive warfare in galactic history. Multiple pushes were coordinated from several launching points and all geared to happen at more or less the same moment, despite dozens of parsecs separating each warfleet’s command headquarters. The Tarak, however, were long expecting an attack. They weren’t stupid – they knew that going in and taking Desan territory while the Uhara occupied them would lead to Desan revanchism. The Desan fleets ran straight into the inner sanctum of the Tarak defense system, into a gauntlet from which there was no escape. Trapped in doomed sieges of worlds and suffering heavy attrition, the Alliance's advance was slowed to a crawl. The Tarak rounded up their warships and butchered them in battle after battle. News of the bitter defeat reached Mars and the Triple Alliance and shocked the empire. Many worlds left the Grand Alliance, preferring independence to the uncertain protection and extortionate tribute that the alliance entailed. Because of the hegemonic nature of the empire, in order to maintain their status, the Triple Alliance must prove that it was worthy of tribute. New warfleets were re-assembled and dispatched to bring the revolting planets back into tributary status, while buildup for a new war began. Mars needed a quick and easy war to re-assert its dominance. To the galactic north and northwest, there existed two civilizations of little consequence: the copper-blooded Anztalo and the advanced and secretive Eirlatu, respectively. The Desan prepared to invade both, justifying it to the Grand Alliance by attempting to show that the planets acquired in the conquest would allow the Desan to recover from the war with the Tarak. After seeing that it would be an easy fight for them, who had far superior military infrastructure compared to either civilization, the general public generally approved of this new war. With the approval of the public and the relatively brief wars to re-assert hegemony over the dissident worlds, the Grand Alliance took war to the Anztalo. This time, a less ambitious and more cautious approach was taken, and a new war strategy was pioneered, with an emphasis on lasers which up until that point was impractical. Not long after the invasion of the Anztalo was making rapid progress, a separate warfleet took to the fight to the Eirlatu. The Anztalo dealt a series of stinging defeats to the Desan, but at the rate of attrition, were still losing greatly. Each time the Anztalo managed to defeat a Desan battlecruiser, three more would arrive from Mars’ foundries. The Desan warfleets arrived at Altza and enforced their demands, calling for the Anztalo’s surrender, which was unconditional. The Eirlatu stood no chance, and were quickly subjugated, though there were some triumphant highlights of their resistance. Their surrender was quick and painless for the Desan – also unconditional. With the conquest of these two races began the first distribution of slaves in Desan civilization since the warp drive. As the Anztalo and Eirlatu were to discover, their service was considered part of the spoils of war that many colonies were entitled to. Slaves became a symbol of prestige and wealth, and so, paradoxically, in a society with the most advanced artificial intelligence ever created, slavery became commonplace – and started here. Hegemonic Empire and Endless War Decline Siege of Mars Government The government of ancient Mars is best described as a hegemonic military confederation. The Triple Alliance and its members were only able to bring the empire under their sway by their military supremacy. Their supremacy, although challenged numerous times, was the only thing that held it together. Furthermore, it was feared that the many thousands of Desan-populated worlds would only tolerate the hegemony of the Triple Alliance so long as there was a great military threat. To this end, the capital was constantly caught in a delicate balancing act: making its neighbors appear to be a menacing enemy, while also having the means to promise the colonies protection from them. Military The military was the single largest expenditure of the government's revenue, accounting for more than 40% of the GDP. It was a highly professional, singular organization, with the planetary forces receiving as much attention and prestige as the navy. Its research and development program focused on innovative range-finding techniques using the most advanced artificial intelligence and processing systems ever developed. In the process, warfare was revolutionized as lasers became the gold standard and superior class of weaponry, then as now. In addition, Desan military's leadership was without comparison in its application of these technologies and the discipline of their soldiers to achieve victory. The army and fleet of the Triple Alliance is seen even today as the mightiest military force ever assembled in galactic history. But it did not start that way. Demographics Technology Category:Stellar Empires